People Without MI Don't Understand Medicine to Treat MI (rant)

This isn't the case for every person without mental illness, I know and understand. But many people (at people I know anyways) are like "why do you have to take medicine to be normal?" or "your medicine is making things worse" or "using medicine to treat the condition means you will always have the condition". It's annoying. It's happened to many times for me. I went off a medication that was working for me about 6 months ago and became depressed three months later. I had to re-explore medication options and ended up going to the ER because of my mood. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I just stayed on my medication. I had to apply to universities this year, and because of this off my meds crap, my marks are like 10-15% lower than they should be so I got denied to over half of my choices. Why can't people realize that medication is helping you and not harming you? Mental illness is like any other kind of illness. I just wish people would be willing to learn or understand what a person with mental illness deals with everyday and honestly doesn't need their crap of how medication is harming them or something stupid like this. Sigh. This is really annoying to me. I try to explain to my family and friends how Medicine works but they don't listen. Grr..

I've been on meds most all my life. Started taking seizure meds when I was 15mo old. Most of those meds are also used as psychiatric drugs now also. I also started taking antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers when I got in my late 20s. By the time I had reached the age of 20 though, I had already been on and off 4 different kinds of seizure meds. Not because they did not work, but because my body was starting to store up too much toxicity from them making me resistant to them and more likely to cause physical damage to me. When I started taking risperdal for my psychiatric problems, for some unknown reason, it put me in a seizure. So yes, while meds are meant for good and can at times do good, they can also do bad at times. It's not good for anyone to say "meds are the only answer" nor "meds are not an answer to anything"

You're very wise. As we've discussed, my daughter has battled depression her junior and senior year. She was able to get into the university of her choice and made a high
GPA. Having said that, her father has her convinced that mental illness medications are for those who are weak. It really makes me livid.

I'm so glad you see that it's necessary and you take it. I don't want her to crash and burn her first year but that's what I'm afraid of.

My daughter makes her second attempt at college this fall. I am so scared that it's not going to work out for her. I want everything to go well, I'm just not sure she's ready. Her PDoc has finally found a combo that seems to be working on her depression, but her concentration, focus and memory issues aren't much better.

Sorry, yes. I do agree with this also. I was just angry at a friend who said I should not take medication, even though it helps me function.

The last medication I took did so I understand that it's not all good. But that if it helps you, you should just continue, especially at a time like mine, where I need(ed) to do well in school to go to different universities.

I can 1000% agree and empathize with this and there is no reason for apology, I was never upset. I apologize if I sounded that way.

I get this.

I have well meaning friends who are constantly telling me I can treat my mental illness with diet and supplements. Granted diet would likely affect my symptoms, it can't eradicate them alone. Beside, these fads (the latest is the paleo diet) are extremely expensive and completely beyond me. I advise them that yes, I will be on medication for the rest of my life and pull out the old argument that a diabetic would be too.

Nike007, when you come across people like the ones you have described, it's important that you understand what they are saying about themselves when they "think" it's ok to make comments on what you do that improves your overall sense of well being. None of these individuals are educated when it comes to medications and also lack in knowledge about struggling with an imbalance and how that can be improved by medications.

Also, most likely a lot of these people probably "self" medicate with alcohol or other drugs to help them deal with things too, even drinking a lot of coffee or other caffeinated drinks. You are going to come across people who simply don't "know" things the rest of your life, always remember that it's not about a lack in "you" but more often than not it's reflecting a lack in them.